Bohemian
Prime Meats
It may be superficial but when it comes to eating out, for me the room is as important as the food. Prime Meats certainly has a definite look, kind of a cross between Deadwood, and the fantasy of a working man’s bar in Brooklyn circa 1900.
I grew up in many bars as a child,(another post on another type of blog) and I am very attuned to the atmosphere of such places. Maybe that is why Prime Meats leaves me a little cold. The two times there I have had no complaints about the food or the service. However the staff tend dangerously close to acting like extras in ’Once Upon A Time In America’.
I have no doubt that this restaurant will be well reviewed and successful and I love the aesthetic of the owners. For me I prefer the charm and chaos of Vinegar Hill House which does take me back to 1900, but to a less dour version of the time, with organ pipes behind the bar, next the to the sadly doomed Admiral’s row and the Navy yard.
The dichotomy is striking outside of Vinegar Hill. At the same time that a trend of turn of the century American Victorian bar fashion is rising in Brooklyn, a truly historic row of Second Empire federal residences will soon be razed for a Pathmark to complement the urban blight of the navy yard projects.
As if there were no other tracts available in the neighborhood, the US Army Corp of Engineers is turning the land over to the city for development.
After cocktails at Vinegar Hill, well worth a walk down the Belgian block streets past the ghostly 19th century Officer’s Quarter’s shells to the Navy Yard.
Bloomberg’s heritage of rapid development will be considered for years to come.
Music to eat and read by featuring two icons; from the past and future.
Its a date?
This saturday night a single girl will find herself at Brooklyn Kitchen, hopefully with the man of her dreams, learning how to butcher a pig. This date night choice of is not for the faint of heart. Afterward she will fight and break up or have the best sex of her life. There is no in between. Let us know how it goes.
Credit Crunch Fashion
Apparently these ballgowns from Victor and Rolf’s Spring 2010 collection, were inspired by our current recession. What happened, were they just over being told to ‘cut back’. Tired of the endless lectures on frugality. What ever the reason, the dresses are totally wild and I wish I a place to go and the money to buy one.
The artists at work.
El Bulli to close
According to BBC world news Ferran Adria is closing his ground breaking El Bulli. You may have never had the opportunity to dine at this restaurant, or even heard of it for that matter. However it is guaranteed that you have eaten food influenced by Adria’s culinary artistry.
The Ardea
When a broker tells me ‘It’s not for everyone’ with regards to a building or an apartment, it immediately gets my attention. It is often code for ’unique and wonderful’ which is an apt description of The Ardea.
This has to be one of the most charming, quirky, and at the same time elegant buildings in the Village. High ceilings and large windows combine with Victorian detail, that will place you soundly in another era as soon as you enter the building.
Built by George A Hearn in two stages beginning in 1895 it was called The Ardea, Latin for heron. A subtle play on words and indirect way to name a building after himself.
By today’s standards the layouts are challenging. You enter the apartment though a grand set of double doors, similar to those found in townhouses of the time, however the hallways within are narrow. There is always an elegant south facing living room that has wonderful proportions and an adjoining library that is used in many ways, sometimes as a bedroom. My favorite feature is on the back stairs off the kitchen; you often find the original box where ice was delivered and stored in the hot summer months.
It may not be for you for a number of very practical reasons, but the next time an apartment comes on the market at 31-33 west 12th street make sure you take the opportunity to see one of the great Village buildings. It is a treat for those who value the unusual and historic.
Another building that is contemporary would be The Dakota, much grander, but linked together in pedigree.
Heir
Recently I found a great antique and design store on Rhode Island; or should I say I discovered their website. I paired the above vignette with an outfit from Anna Sui, the ultimate boho diva. Referring to the work of Tim Burton, would this style be having such a resurgence if so many of us had not grown up watching movies like Sleepy Hollow?
How cool is this jewelry which I will be giving to friends, family and anyone else I think would appreciate it this holiday season.
Definitely worth a closer look, Heir
Anna Sui:Before and After
If Tim Burton and Emma Thompson decided to buy a home in Manhattan, who could they go to for guidance, and where would they live? The person would be Anna Sui and the neighborhood; the Village.
A couple of years ago I showed a client the very odd and very tiny one bedroom apartment above. It was located on a wonderful village street. They liked it but could not figure out how they would make the space work. I later heard that someone in the building was the purchaser. Imagine my surprise when I saw the same apartment in Elle Decor a few years later completely transformed.
It may not be to everyone’s taste, but in the immortal words of Rachel Zoe, ‘ I die’.
The exquisite kitchen cabinets are by Petrit Coma, you must check out their web site. The look was inspired by antique pie safes that were very common in America up until the 1950’s. The bathroom meshes a New York staple, the subway tile with the highly lacquered mirror and sink. Anna Sui lives in a much larger apartment in the same building and when I look at these pictures they are reminiscent of a Folly on a great English Estate, a building purely for decorative pleasure.
Tim Burton at MoMa
One of the most hotly anticipated exhibits this Fall, at least for me, has to be the Tim Burton retrospective at MoMa. It is extraordinary to realise the impact of one man’s somewhat deranged mind. What once seemed macabre and unsettling, is now widely accepted and whimsical.
If I had children I would subject them to his entire catalog of film at an impressionable age. Instead I will have to bring my godchildren, our nieces and nephew when they visit this Holiday season.
Above a collection of disturbing mannequins and drawings from Sweeny Todd.
Amelia Earhart
I am always fascinated by characters, male or female, who live outside of the social bounderies of their time. Amelia Earhart has long been a symbol of the American individualism. Determined to go her own way, she lived her life without regret, and came close to circumnavigating the globe before her death.
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The plane she flew across the Atlantic at the smithsonian
This weekend a movie about her life staring Hilary Swank opens this weekend.
Below are looks from the Hermes Fall collection that are reminiscent of that explorer spirit that Earhart personified.
So where do we think Amelia Earhart would live if she was in New York today? Perhaps 145 Hudson Street? Stay tuned.
